As part of Dutchess County's ongoing Rev250 celebration — which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 — Destination Dutchess, the Dutchess County Department of History and Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction will host a Revolutionary Cider Celebration on June 28, 2025!
Celebrate the start of summer in the orchards at Fishkill Farms, makers of Treasury Cider (so named because the farm’s founder, Henry Morgenthau Jr., served as the Secretary of the Treasury during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency). It will be a day filled with Revolutionary War and Colonial-era history, hayrides and farm experiences, and, of course, apple cider!
You can also pose for photos with Destination Dutchess' very own "Commander in Cheers" and listen to stories of Dutchess County's revolutionary heroics as told by a pint-sized, augmented reality version of George Washington — also known as "Tiny George."
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Here is a timeline for the day's events:
• 11–11:45 a.m., Orchard Talk Hayride and Q&A
• 12–12:30 p.m., Presentation by Cider Historian Mark Turdo, "to be found in every house: Cider in 18th Century America" (see below for details)
• 12:45–1:15 p.m., 18th Century Food Taste & Talk with Dutchess County Historian, William P. Tatum III, PhD, and Boutique Wines, Spirits & Ciders
• 1:30–2:15 p.m., Orchard Talk Hayride and Q&A
• 2:30–3 p.m., Presentation by Cider Historian Mark Turdo, "To be found in every house: Cider in 18th Century America" (see below for details)
• 3:15–5 p.m., Jonathan Kruk, the Hudson Valley's master storyteller, will regale families with Tales of Revolutionary Dutchess County and a dramatic reading of The Declaration of Independence. Stories will include:
• Sybil Ludington's Revered Ride
• The Beacon Fires during the Battle of the Hudson Highlands
• A story skit for children: The Legend of Polly Pell (Bannerman's Island)
• The Great Chain Across the Hudson that held together the new nation
• Strange Stories from the Fishkill Supply Depot
Jonathan has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, The Today Show, and the Travel and History channels, as well as at local schools, libraries, and historic sites.
Related: RevCon 2025 Revolutionary War Reenactment and History Fair: June 14, FDR Library and Museum
Consumed by everyone from wealthy landowners to day laborers, cider was the most common beverage in early America. Much of it was made simply to be drunk, but a few Americans, like Washington and Jefferson, tried to create something truly special. This discussion will explore the range of American cider culture from earliest settlement to the 1790s and see how cider was so ingrained in American culture that even the early Temperance movement thought it was safe.
For more than 20 years, Mark A. Turdo, historian and museum professional, has been researching and recreating historic alcoholic cider. He is especially interested in early American cider and cider culture. In 2013, he began the Pommel Cyder blog, where he shares his adventures in cider research and his experiments in cidermaking. Turdo has shared his cider research at several cider events, cideries, and museums, including the Pennsylvania Cider Fest, Pour the Core Philadelphia, Philadelphia Cider Week, Pennsbury Manor, the Sigal Museum, Manoff Cidery, and Ploughman Ciders.
Dutchess County is home to some of the Hudson Valley’s finest craft breweries, distilleries, wineries, meaderies and cideries. Sip your way through the region with the Destination Duchess Taste Finder, a mobile passport program that serves up perks at 13 craft beverage tasting rooms and tap houses on the trail. Show your Taste Finder pass at participating locations to unlock each producer’s special offer, including free flights, pints, and custom glassware.
